Times Are Changing

“On first inspection the images were similar. Both girls had their hair permed into curls, both were seated with their hands in their lap. Both had clear complexions, no moles to darken or to enhance their futures. I turned towards my brother and he raised his eyebrows at me. My mother’s face was stony. I felt everyone’s eyes on me, waiting for me to speak.
I peered more closely at the photographs and noticed that one girl looked directly at the camera with a hint of a smile, as if she held a secret. The other had little expression on her face, what seemed an unwillingness to reveal herself, or perhaps a hidden stubbornness. I knew from listening to conservations over supper, that both girls came highly recommended: both we healthy comma, obedient, quiet; both knew how to cook and sew, had completed several years of high school in China.” (173)

In this passage, Annie is ask to give input on her brother’s possible future bride. Again we see the process of a Chinese marriage and again we witness how girls are looked as a piece of meat to choose from. But, there are some differences in the process compared to the time of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (SFSF). In this book, a matchmaker is no longer used, as families find the brides themselves. Also, back in the time of Lily from SFSF, it was the parents who determined the marriages, but in this book, Annie, who was “just a woman”, is asked for some advice. The girls in the photos had less skills to prepare them for life at he in-laws, but more knowledge since they were schooled.